tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510288940796977839.post2090796554295947615..comments2015-02-27T04:22:20.958-08:00Comments on paul gregutt&#39;s washington wine blog – unfined &amp; unfiltered: charity or wretched excess?PaulGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05409346656762573929noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510288940796977839.post-84918449845014788952010-11-22T06:20:28.950-08:002010-11-22T06:20:28.950-08:00I found it a fun truffle-rant.
And I thoroughly ...I found it a fun truffle-rant. <br /><br />And I thoroughly agree that much charity would be well served to rethink its approach to tastefulness in light of whatever cause it may aim to aid, because *several* such efforts in the past have seemed completely oblivious to the aspect of good taste. When philanthropy depends upon glamour and luxury to get done, the appearance of sincerity is a tough sale.Tobias Ønohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00030752987513295575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510288940796977839.post-8807794602468753522010-11-18T10:58:08.100-08:002010-11-18T10:58:08.100-08:00Kathy, sure, I am stereotyping, but there is truth...Kathy, sure, I am stereotyping, but there is truth in what I say. I live in one of the wealthiest areas in the world. My fiancee works in a business that serves many of the wealthiest people in the area. Let me tell you, there are some ugly stories. And also some nice ones, though fewer. Let&#39;s just say you&#39;d be amazed at how stingy the wealthy are when it comes to paying for something agreed upon in a written contract. When it comes to spending for ego, well, it is a bit different!<br /><br />Another amusing contribution concerns an archway on a UC campus. A donor offered something like $25 million, contingent upon several million being spent on an arch built in his name. Is the university better off with the donation? Certainly. But insisting a monument be built on campus to honor the donor? That&#39;s a bit crass.<br /><br />Next time you go to the symphony, take a moment and look at the list of donors. Always there are a handful of Anonymous donors. It makes not one difference the motive for the donation--a $ is a $--when it comes to keeping the orchestra running. But, like the vintners you mention, it&#39;s the people who do it without recognition who are truly charitable.Cabfrancophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10408854685852702400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510288940796977839.post-63793979299627232582010-11-18T08:54:25.524-08:002010-11-18T08:54:25.524-08:00Cabfrancophile - your comments seem to be over-gen...Cabfrancophile - your comments seem to be over-generalizations and perhaps even stereotypes. Being a jerk doesn&#39;t seem to me to be class-specific. I might even go so far as to say that making stereotypical comments is somewhat of a jerky thing to do.Kathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510288940796977839.post-44914015750591571632010-11-18T08:54:04.636-08:002010-11-18T08:54:04.636-08:00Hey Kathy, I said nothing remotely like what you s...Hey Kathy, I said nothing remotely like what you seem to have read. What I actually wrote was this: &quot;Marrying egotistic, self-indulgent spending to “charity” is widespread, and many very generous people in the wine industry are, I fear, duped into contributing.&quot; My &quot;cynical&quot; post, as you label it, was aimed at the people who spend silly amounts of money on trips to Monaco, in the guise of donating to charity. I think the wineries have only the best of intentions, but they are misguided. That&#39;s what I wrote, and I stand by it.PaulGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05409346656762573929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510288940796977839.post-24414538937517121932010-11-18T08:49:23.264-08:002010-11-18T08:49:23.264-08:00I think you&#39;re misguided in your attempt to sh...I think you&#39;re misguided in your attempt to shame vintners who donate wine or anything else to charity. Philanthropy is a big part of the wine business and not because you&#39;re looking for recognition. Sure, the person who bought the truffle got notoriety, but the person who donated the truffle didn&#39;t. I&#39;ve worked for many producers here in Napa and every one of them felt charitable giving was a way to give back. Not every vintner is wealthy and came from somewhere else before hopping into the wine business. A lot of these businesses are family-driven and multi-generational. I have one client now that bottles 10 cases of magnums every year which are etched signed and numbered and donated to various charities he supports. He&#39;s a farmer and only makes 400 cases of wine to begin with. Most of his charities are farmworker, healthcare and education-related. I think you are being very cynical in your viewpoint.Kathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510288940796977839.post-38596862601909369312010-11-17T15:29:04.832-08:002010-11-17T15:29:04.832-08:00Edit: Poor phrasing redacted. It was meant to imp...Edit: Poor phrasing redacted. It was meant to imply just what you say, connections to wealthy friends.<br /><br />There&#39;s a certain adage that goes &quot;the true judge of a man&#39;s character is how he treats someone who can do nothing for him.&quot; While the money does go to charity, if that was the whole story the donors would have no problem anonymously giving it. Getting one&#39;s name attached to the record sum and the good or service is certainly a big part of the attraction.<br /><br />It seems wine collectors love to throw around the word generous. If a guy pulls a rare bottle out of his cellar, he is then generous. Sorry, but I call BS on that. Generosity is asking for nothing in return, when always this guy is tacitly asking for everyone to revel in his ownership of a rare good. If a guy gives you a ride in his Bentley, is that generous? Not really, though I would politely accept the offer say thanks afterwards. It&#39;s mainly an opportunity to show off.<br /><br />This is the nature of rich people, though. They are out of touch with reality and always looking for ways to convince themselves they are special. Conspicuous consumption is turned into generosity, narcissism is turned into charity.Cabfrancophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10408854685852702400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510288940796977839.post-71527895182322390952010-11-17T08:56:31.885-08:002010-11-17T08:56:31.885-08:00Cabfrancophile, please be careful about unfounded ...Cabfrancophile, please be careful about unfounded assertions about anyone being &quot;on the take.&quot; I almost decided to delete this comment because of that. There is absolutely no evidence to support the assertion that the critic named is on the take; my guess is she simply has some rich friends. And since I am also a wine critic who in some respects is close to some of the Northwest&#39;s most sought-after producers, I absolutely deny and also resent the implication that I am &quot;on the take.&quot; Untrue. Please censor yourself in the future, so I won&#39;t have to.PaulGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05409346656762573929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-510288940796977839.post-60791593955523163892010-11-17T08:47:31.549-08:002010-11-17T08:47:31.549-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Cabfrancophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10408854685852702400noreply@blogger.com